Health

Our new strategy places our 450 hospital shops and cafés at the centre of Royal Voluntary Service volunteer based health services. This alliance not only utilizes our shops which provide convenience and good value refreshment for visitors and top up shopping for staff but our cafés also provide a welcoming place to take a break.

Over £6 million was raised last year through sales in our shops and cafés and gifted back to hospitals to improve services and equipment for older people in that hospital and community.

We are expanding our patient services within hospitals. So as well as the refreshment trolleys and welcome desks, we are now training our volunteers to offer befriending to older people on the ward, particularly when family live far away or friends can only visit during the evenings and weekends.

We also support older people before a stay in hospital such as arranging care for their pets or lifts to the doctor. Also when they come out of hospital the first few weeks are really important for recovery and simple things such as a daily visit to check if they need anything, collecting prescriptions or helping cook a meal can make all the difference.